


Why Are You Here, Yakov?

by Graendal



Series: TATSILB [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Assistant Coach Katsuki Yuuri, Coach Victor Nikiforov, Epilogue, Established Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Established Relationship, Katsuki Yuuri Has Anxiety, M/M, POV Katsuki Yuuri, POV Victor Nikiforov, Protective Katsuki Yuuri, Supportive Katsuki Yuuri, Two Years Later, Yuri Plisetsky Has Anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:13:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22148479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Graendal/pseuds/Graendal
Summary: After three years of coaching Yuuri, Victor is contacted by Yuri Plisetsky: Yakov is retiring, will Victor be his new coach?But when Yuri Plisetsky arrives in Hasetsu, he's not alone.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri & Yuri Plisetsky, Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Yakov Feltsman & Victor Nikiforov, Yakov Feltsman & Yuri Plisetsky
Series: TATSILB [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1591963
Comments: 15
Kudos: 132





	1. A Surprise Guest

**Author's Note:**

> This is one part of an epilogue to the main story, To All The Skaters I've Loved Before.
> 
> But that isn't strictly required reading for this: the obvious difference from YOI canon is that Victor did not return to competition, and he and Yuuri stayed in Hasetsu instead of moving to Saint Petersburg.
> 
> So if you don't want to read the 90k fic that comes before this story, maybe just read the last chapter to get a sense of Victor's feelings about Yakov.

“You’re  _ sure  _ you don’t have any objections?” Victor asks, again, putting down his phone and peering at Yuuri for any sign of mistruth.

Yuuri shakes his head without looking up from his book. “Honestly, Victor. I really do think you can handle taking on a second senior skater. I promise, I won't feel neglected.”

“Yes, but you know he's not just any skater.” Victor runs a hand through his hair, frustrated. 

Yuuri doesn't seem to understand the depth of his concern. It's not just about coaching — this is going to substantially change their day to day lives. The handful of junior skaters he’s taken on in the past couple of years are manageable in large part due to Yuuri taking on an assistant coach role with them. A senior skater moving from a top tier coach will require dedicated time from Victor, and a lot of it.

“There is almost certainly going to be a long adjustment period. It's going to divert a lot of my time and attention.”

Yuuri sighs and retracts his legs from Victor's end of the couch. He sits up and turns to face him, tucking one foot under himself. “Yuri has a good reason for asking you to coach him. It’s not just about Yakov’s retirement; he would probably have asked you last year if Yakov hadn't been so close to retiring anyway.”

Victor tilts his head. What's Yuuri basing this opinion on? “What makes you say that?”

“He's said a few things in conversation that made me think he’s been itching to make the switch.” 

“I didn't realize you two were in frequent communication,” Victor says, raising his eyebrows.

Yuuri looks away uncomfortably. “It's… did he tell you  _ why  _ he wants you as his coach?”

Victor frowns, shaking his head. “Not really. He just asked if I'd consider it. It was a surprisingly reasonable conversation.”

“He's mellowed out a lot in the past couple of years. For a few reasons.” Yuuri chews his lip. “I didn't say anything before because I didn't feel like this was my information to share. But this is a huge part of why he's asking  _ you,  _ so I can't imagine that he isn't planning on discussing it with you soon.”

“Discussing what with me, Yuuri?” All this dancing around the point is starting to unsettle him.

“His anxiety diagnosis.”

Oh. What?

Yuuri rubs his face. “He's been seeing a therapist online for a while, but he wants a coach who has experience with managing similar issues.” He gestures at himself. “Exhibit A.”

“I can't exactly employ all the same techniques I use to keep  _ your  _ stress levels under control,” Victor says, provoking a blush out of Yuuri. He smirks.

“Well— yeah, obviously. I would hope not.” Yuuri is adorable when flustered. He clears his throat. “But I know you've been doing a lot of reading on the topic. And I know you want to be able to help more people than just me.”

Victor nods. “Okay. I'll tell him I'm willing.”

* * *

Yuuko accompanies them when they go to pick up Yuri from the train station. The Nishigoris have generously offered to host him until the new addition to the onsen that will serve as apartments for the skaters and their families is complete.

Apparently she and Yuri had spent a fair bit of time together during his first visit, when Victor had choreographed Agape for him. Three years ago.

Victor’s mind reels; has it really been three years already? It shouldn't feel so strange. He knows exactly how many seasons it has been, knows the results of every major competition. He and Yuuri had just celebrated their second anniversary a few weeks ago.

Things had been unfathomably different when he'd called Yuri to bring Makkachin to Hasetsu; paradoxically, it also seems impossible that  _ only  _ three years have passed since then.

The thought of waif-like, fifteen-year-old Yuri Plisetsky helping Yuuri with his quad salchow is strange and foreign. Judging by his string of bronze medals last season, those three years of physical development — broader shoulders, greater muscle mass, altered center of gravity — will require substantial readjustment to his jump technique. He has the fundamentals and work ethic to do it, thankfully. It’s far from an impossible task for Victor to help him through.

“It's going to be okay,” Yuuri says, reaching for his hand, and — oh. He's been pacing.

He nods, and tries to flash a smile. Yuuri tugs on his hand to pull him close with a whirl, and he feels a more genuine twitch at the corners of his mouth.

Yuuri squeezes his hand. “You’ve been preparing for weeks. And he’s done with his angsty teen phase.”

They’ve been over this. He knows Yuuri is right, but the idea of coaching a former rinkmate has thrown him right back to the early days when he had wondered whether he would ever feel like he knew what he was doing. In the weeks since agreeing to coach Yuri, Victor has drawn up detailed, yet adaptable plans for how to approach Yuri’s training. He needs to start things off properly, needs Yuri to take him seriously as a coach right from the start.

All of that flies from his mind when Yuri comes out of the station, and he’s not alone.

Yakov is here.

* * *

Victor leans against the wall, fighting back tears of frustration. That had been  _ painfully _ awkward. He hadn't known what to say to Yakov, and Yakov didn't seem to know what to say to him, either. They had greeted each other tersely before a heavy silence had fallen.

Yuri had gone with Yuuko, but the Nishigoris couldn't be expected to host an unexpected additional guest. So Yakov had come back with him and Yuuri to the onsen. Mari had taken him off their hands to get a room sorted out for him, shooting a questioning look at Victor, to which he could only shrug helplessly.

“Did you know about this?” he asks, when Yuuri follows him into their room.

Yuuri shakes his head. “I swear, I didn't. I'm as surprised as you.”

“Why is he  _ here? _ Does he want to hand Yuri off personally? Is he going to yell at me again to tell me to stop playing coach? I'm… I'm fucking  _ thirty,  _ Yuuri, is he still hoping I'll come back to competition? He hasn't even spoken to me since— since—!”

Yuuri’s hands come to rest on his shoulders. “Victor,” he starts. “Let's take a few deep breaths.”

Victor shakes him off. And immediately regrets the loss of contact. “Are you trying to use your techniques on me?”

“You don't have to have anxiety-with-a-capital-A to be anxious.” He holds his hands out, close but not touching. “You don't have to get panic attacks to panic about something really stressful.”

“Okay,” Victor says, and it comes out harsher than he'd meant it to. He tries again, more gently. “Okay. You're right; I'm sorry.”

“It's alright,” Yuuri says, softly, and Victor takes his offered hands. “I can tell that this has you really shaken up.”

Victor exhales slowly, nodding.

“I don't think he's going to try to tell you to go back to competing. He's retired now, yeah?” Yuuri strokes his thumbs soothingly across the back of Victor's hands.

Victor closes his eyes and lets himself enjoy the sensation.

Victor chuckles weakly. “I wonder if Yuri was expecting me and Yakov to run to each other in slow motion and have a tearful reconciliation.”

* * *

When Yuuri asks him about it after a morning run, Yuri snorts. “What, you think I’m delusional?” He bends down to scratch behind Makka’s ears.

Yuuri shrugs. “Then why did you bring him? He’s barely said two words to Victor since he arrived. It doesn’t seem like he’s even interested in working things out with him.”

“I brought him  _ because _ an instant resolution would be impossible. I can tell it’s been on his mind, though, with his retirement and all.” Yuri shifts to stretch his other calf. “If you want to talk about delusions, I think part of him has been holding onto the belief that Victor could still decide to come back. But that’s impossible now, of course.”

“If he wanted to get back in touch with Victor, why not just call?” Yuuri drops into a lunge. He’s been neglecting his hip flexor stretches lately, and he grits his teeth at the resulting burn.

“Yakov is not the type to be able to pick up the phone and apologize. He won’t even admit out loud that he wants to.” Yuri holds a hand out for balance and reaches back with the other to grab his foot and lift it over his head. “It’s a gradual process; it could never happen without him being here in person.”

“How did you convince him to come, then?” Yuuri drops his knee lower to the ground and groans. Coming back after the off-season is always brutal. Makka trots over to him and licks his face now that he's brought it down into her reach.

“I went on and on about the hot spring.” Yuri smirks. “He’s getting old — for real, I mean, not like when I call  _ you  _ old. He’s got a lot of problems with his joints. He competed for a long time, you know, decades ago.”

“Yeah?” Yuuri angles his head. A few silver medals at World’s back in the late sixties, if he recalls correctly.

“Yeah. As a coach, he was always on us about being careful about overuse, avoiding joint injuries and whatever. You know he forbid me from doing quads in Juniors? Not that I always listened.” Yuri smiles wryly. “Anyway, I guess his coaches way back when didn’t always have the future welfare of their skaters’ bodies in mind. His hips and knees are shit now.”

Yakov  _ has  _ been spending a lot of time soaking. To the extent that they’ve had to order him out of the water a few times for safety reasons.

“You could have given Victor a heads up, at least.”

Yuri looks a little guilty at that, at least, glancing down and away. “I know, sorry. I thought he'd tell me not to bring him.” He looks back up at Yuuri, brow furrowed. “But I  _ know  _ they'll both be better off if they manage to resolve things.”

“I never would have predicted you’d grow up to become such a meddler,” Yuuri teases, standing up and ruffling Yuri’s hair.

“I learned my lesson after all the bullshit you and Victor put each other through.” He bumps his shoulder against Yuuri’s. “If I hadn’t been so determined  _ not  _ to meddle…”

“Things would have gone very differently, yeah.” 

Yuuri twists his mouth. “I hope you’re right about this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've also started posting my next fic, [Instead Of Getting Hit, Don't](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22147483/chapters/52866517), a BNHA Greek myth AU (Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto), specifically inspired by the video game Hades, and it could use some love if you're willing to check it out!


	2. Reconciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yakov and Victor awkwardly navigate around each other in Hasetsu, while Yuuri tries to provide whatever support he can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a few other things written for the next year or two down the road for Yuuri and Victor. Look forward to those next week! Be sure to bookmark or subscribe to the series itself if you want to notice when I upload a new part.
> 
> Let me know if you enjoyed this! ❤️

It is an  _ agonizingly  _ slow process. Yuuri is glad he’s learned a little Russian over the past few years, or it would be utterly baffling.

It had started with Yakov passing Yuuri and Victor in the hall one day, and Victor moving aside to make a path for him.

“Sorry, Vitya.”

Victor had stared after him.

Yuuri had taken his hand, and Victor had turned and dropped his head to Yuuri’s shoulder, letting out a shaky breath.

Then, at dinner, Victor had asked Yakov to pass him the teapot.

“Thank you, Yakov.”

Yakov had blinked rapidly and looked away, excusing himself from the table shortly thereafter.

A few days later, Yakov had silently walked into the arena and stood at the edge of the rink during a choreography session. Yuuri might not have even noticed him if he hadn't been sitting on the sidelines, observing how things were going between Victor and Yuri.

He'd had a thoughtful expression on his face the entire time he'd stood there watching, and left before making his presence known to Victor or Yuri.

That had been yesterday.

And here he is again, sneaking in to watch another session. Yuuri catches his eye. Even knowing he's been spotted, he stays to watch anyway.

This time, Victor notices him too, and stops dead on the ice when he sees him. Yuuri looks back and forth between them. The silent staring contest stretches on to the point of becoming unnerving, and then Yakov gives a brief nod before turning and walking out.

What the fuck is Victor supposed to take from that? Yuuri searches his face for signs of distress, but he's just staring, with a slight frown, at where Yakov had walked out. Then Yuri skates over and stops short beside him, snapping his fingers a few times in front of Victor's face until Victor blinks himself back to awareness.

Victor shakes himself and goes straight back into demonstrating the step sequence.

Yuuri hurries around the edge of the rink and through the door Yakov had left through, but he's already long gone.

* * *

“Does he think I should be fixing Yuri’s jump technique before getting started on choreography?” Victor asks, while Yuuri runs a comb gently through his hair.

He doesn't really need it, with pin-straight hair that rarely tangles, but it's a soothing ritual nonetheless.

“I'm not sure what he's thinking,” Yuuri murmurs.

“I just like to get started early on choreography, so it has a chance to sink in. We still have lots of time to drill jumps.”

“You don't have to convince me,” Yuuri says. “Or him, for that matter.”

“He nodded at me. What was that supposed to mean?” Victor runs a hand down his face.

Yuuri sighs. He doesn't have any answers for Victor; he can't really help him through this aside from being there as support when needed.

“Sorry,” Victor says, quietly. “I know you don't know either.” He drops his head back into Yuuri’s lap.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Yuuri says, brushing the back of his knuckles down the side of Victor's face. “I’m happy to listen, even if I don't know any more than you. Yuri seems certain that Yakov  _ does _ want to make amends, though.”

“But it's been a week since he got here and he's still barely spoken to me.” Victor quirks his lips into a halfhearted smile. “Maybe he really is just here for the hot water.”

“Maybe he’s scoping the place out as a spot to establish a retirement community for ex-figure skaters and coaches.” Yuuri laughs quietly. “And he’s going to make my parents an offer they can't refuse.”

Victor cracks a real smile, and Yuuri traces a fingertip along the curve of Victor’s lips before curving himself over to kiss him.

“As stressful as this visit is,” Victor says, when Yuuri relinquishes his mouth a few moments later. “It helps a lot to know that you’re here for me no matter what happens.”

Yuuri nods and kisses him again.

* * *

The next time Yakov comes to the rink to watch is during a training session with the junior skaters. He’s there, lurking at the edge of Victor’s vision, and Victor breathes deeply. He has to stay focused on the task at hand. Yuuri skates over to him and rests a hand at the small of his back.

All three of the juniors are coming along nicely, but they could probably improve their success rate with their axels if he can get them to focus more on their posture during takeoff. He sets up the camera and explains the goal of the exercise.

A few of the parents had complained about the lack of private ice time, but he’d picked these particular skaters in part because of their complementary learning styles and personalities. They work better together than separately.

They take turns attempting their axels, getting feedback from Yuuri after each one. It's always been his strongest jump, and he has a keen eye for minor corrections that can be made for substantial benefit.

After a handful of attempts from each of them, Victor goes over the video with them, and they confer with each other about what differences they can tell resulted from the comments Yuuri had given them and whether they had successfully taken his advice into account. They split up to practice individually for a while.

When Elizaveta takes a hard fall and gets up flushed and blinking back tears, he skates over to check on her.

“Are you alright?” Victor gingerly takes her elbow, and brings her to the boards. It hadn’t looked like she’d come down badly on her knee or ankle, but he hadn’t caught if she’d tried to break her fall with a hand or elbow.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, wiping at her cheeks. “So embarrassing. Your old coach is here, right? I really wanted to show off how much I’ve learned with you as my coach.”

Victor narrows his eyes and looks over at Yakov. “Don’t worry about that.” He looks back at Elizaveta, smoothing his expression for her sake. “My only concern is whether you’re injured.”

She rotates her wrist a few times in each direction, and then shakes her head. “I’m okay. You’re not disappointed in me?”

Victor smiles gently. “Have I ever been?” She shakes her head again and makes an attempt at returning his smile. “Besides,  _ you  _ are employing  _ me;  _ if anyone should be disappointed in anyone else over a theoretical lack of progress, it would be you, disappointed in me.”

“Oh.”

“We’re all still a little rusty after the break. And falls happen.”

She exhales slowly, eyes closed. “Yeah. Okay.” She opens her eyes again and manages a shaky grin. “Thanks, Mr. Nikiforov.”

He frowns and wags a finger at her. “What did we discuss?”

She rolls her eyes. “Thanks,  _ Victor,”  _ she corrects, and he grins broadly.

“That’s better. Now, go check in with Yuuri; I have to go have a conversation.”

* * *

“Yakov.”

Yakov whirls around. Victor had caught up to him as he’d been heading out of the arena.

“Your lurking is stressing out my junior skaters.” Victor sets his jaw, ready to argue if necessary. “What do you want?”

“Ah, sorry, Vitya,” Yakov says, and Victor blinks. “I just wanted to watch; I wasn’t trying to disturb your skaters.”

Victor rubs his face. “You’re stressing  _ me  _ out,” he says, quietly.

“Ah.”

“Why are you really here, Yakov?” Victor says, and he can’t help how exhausted he sounds. All this tiptoeing around each other has been wearing him down over the past two weeks.

“I don’t like how we left things, Vitya,” Yakov says gruffly, looking away.

“You made that very clear before.” Victor narrows his eyes. He’s not in the mood for a lecture.

Yakov sighs, shoulders slumping. “I meant that I don’t like how  _ I  _ left things. I was angry that you would go off to Japan without warning, as if I had just been a coach to you, and nothing more.”

Anger rises within him, and he grits his teeth. “That’s  _ bullshit,  _ Yakov. I tried for months to communicate with you, to stay in touch, and the one time you responded was to tell me that you didn’t want me to speak to you unless I was begging you to coach me again.” 

“Vitya, I—”

“No! You let me finish!” Victor clenches his fists. “And how can you call me that, like you ever really cared? You’re the one who made it obvious that all  _ I  _ had ever been to  _ you _ was a champion skater. The second I stepped away from that — because I was  _ absolutely miserable,  _ and you  _ knew it —  _ you shut me out with cruel words, and then  _ nothing at all!” _

Yakov is silent.

“You were— You  _ knew  _ how much that would hurt me. You— you—!” Tears flood his vision and he could scream in frustration. He should have learned a long time ago that he can’t safely be vulnerable around Yakov. He presses the heels of his palms to his eyes.

And then Yakov is— Yakov is  _ hugging  _ him. Victor’s hands fly from his face in shock.  _ Yakov  _ has tears standing in his eyes.  _ Yakov  _ is  _ crying. _

“I'm so sorry, Vitya. At the time, I felt I was the one who was wronged; I was angry, but I know there's no justification for how I treated you.” Yakov sniffs. “I'm so— so  _ proud  _ of you for what you've managed to accomplish here in just a few years.”

Victor sobs and sags against him.

“I can see that I'm leaving Yura in good hands.” Yakov looks over Victor's shoulder. “And it warms a poor old man’s heart to see how happy you are with Katsuki. I regret that I didn't come to my senses soon enough to attend the wedding.”

Victor turns his head to follow Yakov’s gaze. Yuuri is standing just inside the door Victor had followed Yakov through moments ago, looking like he doesn't know what to do with his hands.

“Sorry. I didn't want to interrupt,” Yuuri says, eyes full of empathy. “You okay, Victor?” He takes a step towards them.

Yakov pats his back a couple of times and lets him go.

Victor starts toward Yuuri, who meets him halfway and folds his arms around him.  _ Safe. _

Yakov clears his throat. “My return flight is scheduled for a week from now, but I can change it to shorten my stay if that’s what you want, Vitya.”

Yuuri is a stabilizing presence with a hand on his shoulder as Victor regards Yakov. Only a week left — it’s taken them twice as long as that just to have one conversation. 

Victor takes a deep breath, in and out. “Can you change it so you stay longer?”

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is [@damaless](http://damaless.tumblr.com) and twitter is [@fandamaless](http://twitter.com/fandamaless), come interact if you like!


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